Sems Games said on Nov. 7 that it will open its first pop-up store, called “Playhouse,” in Seoul’s Hongdae area by the end of this year.

At Playhouse, customers will be able to experience PLAP, a comprehensive and innovative toy service developed by the company to enable simultaneous offline toy design/assembly and online games via the Playhouse platform, after which the pop-up store was named.

The toy assembly process involves customers creating a self-developed or “IP (intellectual property)” character, and printing it out using a 3D printer. The assembly of IP characters, for example, could involve combining the body of Batman with the head of Astro Boy. The company’s objective is to allow customers to experience the joy of creating and owning a one-of-a-kind toy that has been realized via 3D printing.

These characters and Sems Games-designed houses can then be incorporated into the online games to enable customers to create personalized virtual spaces. Furthermore, all of the characters and houses can be made into physical figures through 3D printing.

Sems Games CEO Ahn Jeong-hoon said, “The PLAP service will be attractive to not only children, but single people in their 20s and 30s who enjoy toys as a hobby. If our first store is successful, we plan to open a second store in Pangyo next year.”

(jshwang@heraldcorp.com)